One of the fruits of Benedict XVI’s pontificate has been the freeing of the older form of Holy Mass. His Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum was like an “emancipation proclamation”. Slowly but surely the use of the older Roman forms is spreading.

With that growth come new resources.

One such is the new St. Edmund Campion Missal & Hymnal for the Traditional Latin Mass.

I had received a review copy some time ago, but hadn’t the energy or time to dig into it. Then I received a note from one of the long time readers here about this hymnal. He wrote:

I believe the appearance of this new TLM missal & hymnal–reflecting as it does the beauty of the TLM itself–to be a significant post-Summorum Pontificum event, particularly for TLM newcomers not having a prior hand missal devotion.

Our TLM community is selling copies to individuals, and has not been able to keep up with demand. Ordered 25 copies, then 50 more, then 100 more. Virtually everyone who sees one, wants one.

Upon a first look, it immediately occurred to me that only the TLM could inspire such beauty in a missal or hymnal, just as the Novus Ordo as we know it would never have inspired such beautiful vestments as befit the TLM.

And I’ve seen its effect on others at first look. We’ve been showing it after Mass, and I’ve not personally seen anyone look at one without wanting to buy it, right then and there. Which is why our multiple re-orders, trying to keep up.

Which convinces me of its significance for the TLM, especially its appeal to TLM newcomers without a traditional hand missal devotion. Its appearance is a significant event for our own community that embraces growing TLM groups throughout our diocese.

I like the observation about “a traditional hand missal devotion”. In yesteryear, people would receive a hand missal perhaps for first Communion or Confirmation, they might upgrade to a full, adult version later and then keep it all their lives, stuffed with holy cards and memorial cards and ordination cards, holding it closed with a rubber band.

The new St. Campion hymnal/missal isn’t in that same small format, but it has advantages that the older, traditional hand missal, such as those now produced by Baronius Press and Angelus Press, don’t have.

With those things in mind, here are some pics, which will give you a sense of what he is talking about.

First, this is a hard cover book, the size of a hymnal, rather than a hand missal. That means the print and everything else is larger.

You can see the sections. I am a little concerned that the angular corners will get worn quickly.

It would be helpful to have a couple ribbons.

Sorry about the fuzzy, but you get the sense.

And there is the art work!

In the back there is a Kyriale… a section with the basic chants for the Ordinary of Mass… meaning that the congregation can sing. SHOULD sing in more cases!

It is not light-weight.

Side by side with the Baronius Press hand missal.

Okay, let’s have more interior shots… ’cause it is quite spiffy.

There are two sections for the Ordinary, for Solemn Mass and for Low Mass.

This was interesting. They included some images of ancient manuscripts which demonstrate the antiquity of what we do as Catholics during Holy Mass. This, below, is the beginning of the Roman Canon in the “Stowe Missal” which dates to about 750 AD.

The section for the Ordinary for Low Mass.

Not bad, huh? The book has great appeal. By its beauty, it could be a great help to people who are first getting interested in the older form.

Kevin, the priests in the 100+ color photos that illustrate the celebration of Holy Mass are priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP). As explained in the foreword by Fr. John Berg, superior general of the FSSP, they were taken at the Fraternity’s parish church in Rome and at the church at its general house in Friborg, Switzerland. However, some in this country may recognize U.S. priests in these photos. For instance, the celebrant in the photos above is Fr. James Fryar, pastor of the FSSP parish in Sarasota, Florida (who is frequently seen in the daily livemass.net web cast from there).

When attending Low Mass I use a reprint of the Saint Andrew Daily Missal (1945) with its excellent commentaries which apart from anything else put the Mass in the context of the Office. That has the Kyriale in modern notation, but that’s not a problem since at High Mass I would be armed with the Liber Usualis.

Wolfeken — Keeping your eyes lowered is a sign of respect. Also, mental participation with the eyes closed is just as full a sign as having the eyes open, or blind people would be doing something bad. To be lost in prayer is desirable; by the nature of prayer, anyone caught up in thinking about God is participating deeply in what’s going on up at the altar.

But if you grant your own contention — that you should be watching Mass — what are you doing watching other people instead of Mass? Obviously your eyes aren’t focused on the altar, either. :)

I bought a set of insertable ribbon markers for my copy. Had to trim the cardboard down because the binding is pretty tight, but it’s working OK. Grateful that I don’t have to use my bifocals with this book. :)

The paper used appears to be “standard weight” for a hardcover book, with glossy pages for the photographs. Am I correct? I would be more likely to use this one than the Baronius missal, which has super-thin pages.

Our pastor had two for perusal and sale if anyone wanted one. I couldn’t resist, though I don’t need another missal! It is beautifully done; and I was pleased to see that the FSSP was a part of it. The painting of the Trinity hangs over the high altar of the FSSP parish in Rome. Beautiful! The hymns are for congregational singing, many not well known, but easy to learn. The large print is a plus for people my age, but it is a heavy book to be carrying to Mass. My daily missal is heavy enough (Angelus Press rather than Baronius – same difference). It’s great that they included the extensive kyriale and chants. Let it be known, however, that this is not a DAILY missal. It is for Sundays, feast days, Holy Week and such. It would be a nice missal to have in the pews for those parishes which could afford it.

I have been using my new Campion Missal for two weeks now. Yes, it is beautiful and not light weight. But the print is easy on …ahem…mature eyes and the arrangement is just beautiful. I keep my other Missal for saint’s feast days and the propers of those weekday Masses but I plan to use this one every Sunday.

I very much enjoy my St. Campion missal. Everyone I’ve shown it to has commented on the sheer beauty of it.

My only two quibbles are the need for a ribbon or two, like Fr Z mentioned, and the prompt to turn to the Propers isn’t very prominent. When you have a bunch of wiggly children to keep an eye on, those features would both come in handy.

@Scott W – The publishers, Corpus Christi Watershed, have a organ accompaniment you can purchase and their website says they are coming out with the SATB scores soon.

We were discussing these two Sundays ago, and the issue that came up repeatedly was the size of them. I would buy one simply for its eye-candy appeal, but I wouldn’t haul it to Mass with me (unless I had to go to an OF Mass that I had a good inkling would leave me livid with rage. Then I could focus on the beautiful images and not Deacon Crooner at the Pulpit with his guitar, or Joe Cantor singing some power ballad re-write of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” complete with emotional arm movements like I’m at a Celine Dion concert, while the guy sitting next to me is eating candy or drinking some Starbucks.).

I’m not really a fan of using a Missal during Mass except if it’s a special Mass like during the Triduum, or for the readings. I tend to get wrapped up in the actual Mass itself and its sheer awesomeness. Is it really that important that I’m following along to what the priest is praying, or is my personal internal participation not sufficient? I find Missals more of a distraction than anything.

Then I could focus on the beautiful images and not Deacon Crooner at the Pulpit with his guitar, or Joe Cantor singing some power ballad re-write of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” complete with emotional arm movements like I’m at a Celine Dion concert, while the guy sitting next to me is eating candy or drinking some Starbucks.

Please tell me this is an exaggeration and not something you witnessed. :)

I hope our Parish will order them for our Latin Mass community. It is lovely imho. Although I didn’t have much time to browse it, it passed my preliminary test: I looked at the English Christmas Carol “God rest ye merry gentlemen” and found the reassuring verse “from God our Heavenly Father.” The available hymnal, which I call “the green-cover monster which doth mock the feminist and liberal meat it feeds on” has a pc word instead of “Father.” I hate that green thing. Next Sunday I’ll find out if the SEC hymnal has the original “let men their songs employ” in “Joy to the World.” I am a little nervous.

Scott WPlease tell me this is an exaggeration and not something you witnessed.
No exaggeration. I’m praying that this year’s priest assignments come with changes that the Cathedral will have a different pastor, and if not that, as requested by a newly ordained priest, that one of the soon-to-be ordained priests doesn’t get stuck there with him as an associate pastor.

I watched the video for this Missal, and I still don’t see how the bookmark is sufficient. They left out the part about the preface which changes, which will require an extra flip. I can see these as being a replacement to those red missilettes and having to replace the print outs every Sunday.

Addendum: Correction to my post at 11:47 am above. I have just learned that the ribbons I saw in the “Vatican II Hymnal” at my parish did NOT come from the publisher. The ribbons were added by parish personnel. So . . . it would be nice if both books came with ribbons.

That will change, with experience. I find them helpful, especially when people around me are distracted and distracting, or when the priest’s accent, coupled with poor acoustics, makes it sometimes difficult to follow. They are also excellent for use prior to Mass, in clearing your mind of outside distractions.

My missal has a large section of prayers; prayers before Mass, prayers after Mass, prayers for various occasions. It is a daily missal, so has all the readings for all the days, and I normally arrive 20 minutes or so early for Mass, to have time for prayers and meditation. Then I can be properly disposed for the Eucharist.

I’ve been attending the EF Mass for almost two years now. The more I attend Mass the less compelled I feel to use a Missal. I find myself more drawn to attach my heart to the Mass and follow it that way than trying to sub-vocalize all of the prayers throughout Mass. I don’t want to use my Missal, and I hate feeling pressured to use it otherwise I’m not “actively participating”. This is why I prefer the EF over the OF. There’s less liturgical participation and more contemplative participation.

APX, to each his own. Back when the Mass was always in Latin, I used a missal, and now that I routinely attend the OF, I use a missal. My only option for the EF is almost 90 miles, round trip, too much certainly for daily Mass, and a bit much even for weekly. If and when I am able to attend the EF on a regular basis, I expect I shall use the Campion missal.

Overseas shipping from the fulfilment center is very expensive. The book is supposed to become available from Amazon in the future but when exactly is unclear. The shipping is currently more than the purchase price.

(Link is to someone putting ribbons in their Parish Book of Chant, which is about to go into its second edition, for those of you who can’t buy an EF-only pewback book, but are stuck with both Forms–the PBC is a jack of both “trades,” but of necessity master of neither–the St. Edmund Campion Missal is master of the EF–as CC Watershed’s Vatican II Hymnal is to the OF.)

I don’t know if anyone has picked up on this, or not, but, in the preface, it states that the St Edmund Campion Missal is based on the Father Lasance Missal of 1945. Not to be nitpicking, but, how can that be, as there are quite a few changes. In the 1945 missal, today is the feast of St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. The mass is of the feria (Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent) with a commemoration of the feast. Otherwise (such as tomorrow) it’s the mass of the feria, with two commemorative prayers (A Cunctis Nos and the Commemoration of the Living and the Dead). Also, the Holy Week services are completely different, there is no mention of St Joseph in the Canon, and a lot of the feast days have different dates. So, how can this be based on a 1945 missal. It should be based on the 1962 Missal.

They just ordered a bunch of these for the TLM I go to. About 2 in every pew it looked like to me. My ride to the Mass is the priest’s niece and she like had this delighted giggle when she saw them and we knew there was a reason we happened to get to Mass 30 mins early which has almost never happened because of traffic. She had no clue that her uncle was getting them. It was so beautiful and helpful and easier to follow than the little missalettes that had been in the pews and pointed out little nuances of the Mass that we had missed. There were a couple bookmarks in the pages already marking what pages we needed, hopefully they don’t go missing. I think I’ll offer to the priest at my church that I’ll make some ribbon markers for them. I was considering getting one of my own, but perhaps someone on here may have a better suggestion? I’ll probably still get this one to put on my shelf at some point though, I am a book person, actually if I order it now I can show my Carmelite friend when he comes to visit me….

For those readers who have never attended a TLM/EF Mass or perhaps only a handful, get this inexpensive missal and read the prayers used in the Ordinary of the Mass. They are beautiful, reverent, transcendent, ineffable. They give great glory to God Almighty.

Or go here to this website and read the words. Especially beginning at the Offertory. They are so much more glorious than those used in the OF in my opinion. And when sung at a High Mass even more so! They can transport you to the heavens.

I just ordered 2 of them..I am curious as well how the Holy Week Masses appear and how far off this is from the 1962 Missal. Do they mean they are just using a translation that was found in the 1945 Missal? Either way it is a fine Missal and well worth the price. The illustrations, typeset, and color are just too impressive to not have.

gambletrainman — It just means that the bits which haven’t changed since 1945 are the same as Fr. Lasance’s translation. (He was a Cincinnati priest who did a lot of books for Benziger back in the day.) Everything else had to be adapted. (Which probably wasn’t hard, as there have been plenty of later missals printed which have adapted Fr. Lasance’s translation.)

PRICE: If you go to the Campion web site that Father Z links and select link #2 you get a price list–it depends on how many copies you order–from $23 (plus shipping) for a single copy, down to $15 each if you order 500 copies.

ORGAN and SATB: If you select link #3 there, you learn about the organ supplements that are available now. The SATB version for choirs is said to come soon.

RIBBONS: If you select link #5 there, you get a 4-minute video alleging that ribbons are not needed at Mass, that the missal is designed so the single provided book mark suffices. However, if (like me) you want ribbons instead, handy 5-ribbon inserts are available at most Catholic bookstores, or you can order them on line at sites like aquinasandmore.com

PRAYERS: I routinely pore over and compare the translations in my Baronius and Angelus missals with those in older missals like the venerable St. Andrew Missal. I generally find the translations in the Lasance (and now Campion) to be the most “slavishly literal” and–though this no doubt is a matter of personal taste–to at the same time to read the most smoothly and eloquently.

Agellius–There is no “Cart” on the site like you normally see on a site such as Amazon. You have to call or fax or order via the regular mail. I called last evening around 6pm and placed my order by phone.

Could someone who has seen it comment about how useable the “Solemn Mass” section is for a Missa cantata with incense? Does it point out any of the differences between a high Mass and a Missa cantata?

The use of color and illuminated initials and other page decoration is intriguing, and I look forward to perusing it in person.

However, I’m leery of the glossy photos of Mass contained on most every page of the Order of Mass. Sure the newbie might find the photos helpful, but after you’ve been to the Mass a few times, why would you want to be looking at photos? Back in the 1960s they started using photos like this in hand missals, such as those in the Cathedral Missal, published by E.M. Lohmann (which previously published the St. Andrew Missal). In my opinion, this paralleled the experiment of “commentators” at Mass — lay folks interjecting explanations ad nauseum throughout Mass. That tedious experiment failed miserably. And as far as having pictures to see things which the person in the pew normally can’t, Msgr. Richard Schuler of happy memory recounts how he celebrated some of the very first Masses “facing the people” in the diocese. He said the people came for the novelty, but that quickly wore off, and he went back to the high altar. I think glossy photos of the Mass are more appropriate for a primer than for a missal (Angelus Press has an excellent example of such a thin glossy primer, For the Visitor at Mass).

The price is kind of astounding. I saw the price, then rejected it as a price as it was too low, then did some more research and found out it is, indeed, the price.
I watched the video containing the ribbon explanation. My self-esteem plunged as I realized I was not smart enough to keep up with “the switching of the bookmark”. Back to ribbons, but even that is sure to be a debacle, as I admit, I have no idea what I will be doing.
The closest Latin Mass to our house is a 45 minute drive each way. I look forward to attending one.

Search Fr. Z’s Blog

Search for:

SHOPPING ONLINE? Please, always come here first!

Enter Amazon through my link.
Use the search bar below.
Fr Z will get a small percentage of what you spend.

Here's Fr. Z's
"catholic" search for Amazon:
US HERE - UK HERE
And you do need a Kindle! - HERE

“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z

Let us pray…

Grant unto thy Church, we beseech
Thee, O merciful God, that She, being
gathered together by the Holy Ghost, may
be in no wise troubled by attack from her
foes.
O God, who by sin art offended and by
penance pacified, mercifully regard the
prayers of Thy people making supplication
unto Thee,and turn away the scourges of
Thine anger which we deserve for our sins.
Almighty and Everlasting God, in
whose Hand are the power and the
government of every realm: look down upon
and help the Christian people that the heathen
nations who trust in the fierceness of their
own might may be crushed by the power of
thine Arm. Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world
without end. R. Amen.

This blog has to earn its keep!

PLEASE subscribe if it is useful.
That way I have steady income I can plan on, and you wind up regularly on my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I periodically say Holy Mass.
PAY PAL edit ONLY in TEXT

Some options

For a one time donation...

New miscellaneous releases and events

Yes, Fr. Z is taking ads…

For example...

A great hymnal…

Because it matters what children read…

I carry one of these super-strong rosaries in my spare mag pouch! The Swiss Guards have them too!

The Swiss Guard have these rosaries!For the story clickHERE and HERE (esp. 18:00)

My "challenge coin" for my 25th anniversary of ordination in 2016.

Want one? I do exchanges with military and LEOs, etc. and you can make a donation.

Because you don’t know when you are going to need to move fast or get along without the supermarket…

Fr. Z’s stuff is everywhere

Help support Fr. Z’s Gospel of Life work at no cost to you. Do you need a Real Estate Agent? Calling these people is the FIRST thing you should do!

They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!

GREAT causes to support

Help Monks in Wyoming (coffee – UPDATED LINK) and Norcia (beer) and the wonderful "Soap Sisters" of Summit, NJ!

Please follow me on Twitter!

If you travel internationally, this is a super useful gizmo for your mobile internet data. I use one. If you get one through my link, I get data rewards.

Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.

WDTPRS

020 8133 4535

651-447-6265

Main Wishlist

Kindle Wishlist

Audio Wishlist

READER DONATIONS FROM…

- - JUNE -

To set up a recurring, monthly donation via PAYPAL (even a small one) go to the bottom of this blog and look for the drop down menu! Do you want yet another alternative to PayPal? I have set up an account with
CONTINUE TO GIVE
Get a link to donate via CONTINUE TO GIVE using your smart phone.
SEND MESSAGE:
4827563
TO:
715-803-4772
They take a larger percent taste, but they are an alternative.

I remember benefactors in my prayers and periodically say Mass for your intention.

This catechism helped to bring Fr. Z into the Catholic Church!

Be a “Zed-Head”!

Fathers, you don’t know who might show up! It could be a “big fish” of one sort or other…

And... GO TO CONFESSION!

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”

What people say about Fr. Z

"Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a traditionalist blogger who has never shied from picking fights with priests, bishops or cardinals when liturgical abuses are concerned."
- Kractivism

"Father John Zuhlsdorf is a crank" "Father Zuhlsdorf drives me crazy" "the hate-filled Father John Zuhlsford" [sic]"Father John Zuhlsdorf, the right wing priest who has a penchant for referring to NCR as the 'fishwrap'"
"Zuhlsdorf is an eccentric with no real consequences" - HERE
- Michael Sean Winters

"Fr Z is a true phenomenon of the information age: a power blogger and a priest."
- Anna Arco

“Given that Rorate Coeli and Shea are mad at Fr. Z, I think it proves Fr. Z knows what he is doing and he is right.”
- Comment

"Let me be clear. Fr. Z is a shock jock, mostly. His readership is vast and touchy. They like to be provoked and react with speed and fury."
- Sam Rocha

"Father Z’s Blog is a bright star on a cloudy night."
- Comment

"A cross between Kung Fu Panda and Wolverine."
- Anonymous

Fr. Z is officially a hybrid of Gandalf and Obi-Wan XD
- Comment

Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a scrappy blogger popular with the Catholic right.
- America Magazine

RC integralist who prays like an evangelical fundamentalist.
-Austen Ivereigh on Twitter

“For me the saddest thing about Father Z’s blog is how cruel it is.... It’s astonishing to me that a priest could traffic in such cruelty and hatred.”
- Jesuit homosexualist James Martin to BuzzFeed

"Fr. Z's is one of the more cheerful blogs out there and he is careful about keeping the crazies out of his commboxes"
- Paul in comment at 1 Peter 5

"I am a Roman Catholic, in no small part, because of your blog.
I am a TLM-going Catholic, in no small part, because of your blog.
And I am in a state of grace today, in no small part, because of your blog."
- Tom in comment

"Thank you for the delightful and edifying omnibus that is your blog."- Reader comment.

More stuff…

Archives

ENTRY CALENDAR

Admin Stuff

The opinions expressed on this blog do not necessarily reflect the positions of any of the Catholic Church's entities with which I am involved. They are my own. Opinions expressed by commentators in the comments belong to the commentators.

Fr. Zo{]:¬)

Where are you?

Do you use my blog often? Is it helpful to you?

If so, please consider subscribing to send a monthly donation. That way I have steady income I can plan on, and you wind up regularly on my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I periodically say Holy Mass.